If I told you CReATE STUDIO had a distant connection to an Italian city would you believe it? Let’s go back in time the days of World War ll when a small group of people took matters into their own hands to provide the children of their town with enriching early childhood education with a curious, hands-on foundation.
Legend has it, they gathered everyday things (something we know a lot about) to use as mediums for learning and discovery. Whatever was around anyone’s house was what was incorporated I am told. The town of Reggio Emilia today still adopts original principals for learning through experience and connection in a curriculum also used around the world and known as Reggio Emilia. We even have a Reggio inspired preschool in our own backyard, Oak Park Neighborhood School. Reggio’s kind of child centered learning makes sense to me because I see it everyday as children of all ages create through their own curious processes in our open-ended studio. I am not of a mind to teach but I do find the Reggio spirit flitting about our studio without our even realizing it. It seems that natural materials are often used in Reggio inspiration today but in our case, cardboard pieces, tin cans and twist ties do a similar job of connecting kids to their own big ideas and explorations as well as in working collaboratively with friends.
Are you curious to know the Reggio mindset? I like An Everyday Story’s explanation and find our studio spirit echoed therein.
See what I see in kids, what your kids see. The next time you head out on a walk, notice what your kids are drawn to and see if you can keep a thread of that interest intact for a few minutes or the whole afternoon through conversation or creation. Was it about color, speed or texture? With your own curiosity you are on your way to noting the world through your kids eyes.